Skeleton tower



(No Model.)

2 Sheets- SheetA 2'.;

o Patenfed A131222, 1884,

NEM D T D\ ,QN/5 LK @5% dma ' uUNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE. f

JOHN s. ADAMS, OE ELGIN, ILLINOIS, AssIeNOE To THE DETROIT IRON TOWER COMPANY, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

sKELEToN TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. `297,335, dated April 22, 13342.

Applicatiorftlled October 12, 1881. Renewed March 1T, 1884.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itlrnown that I, JOI-IN S. ADAMS, of Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful -In'iprovements in Towers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereot', reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand to the let- 'ters of reference Inarkedthereon, which forni located on the tower interior, and as einbracing certain features ot' construction and cer tain combinations with other parts peculiar to this situation. So far as relates to the construction ofthe guides and other parts, it is iin material whether the carriage is employed for an attendant or it is used tovcarry a lamp or lamps.

To these and other ends that will be stated the invention consists in the several features ofconstruction and in various combinations ot' devices hereinafter fully set forth, and designated in the claims.

In'thc accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied to a skeleton tower of, say, from one hundredto live hundred feet :in height, and suited to the support of an electriclight. y

rlhe tower may be supposed to be constructed of tubular iron having connections of cast-iron. i y

Figure `l shows the base-section of a triau` guiar skeleton tower of the general description set "forth :in other patents granted to me. Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe upper portion of the tower, showing @devices for suspending the elevator' and for the attachnient ofthe upper-landing frame. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of theftower above the lower elevator-landing, and showing an elevator passenger-cablowered. Fig. 4 isa vertical transverse section of theframe of the lower elevator-landing, illustrating the use of one ofthe (No model.)

transverse bars of said frame as the separating-bar for the elevator guide-ropes, andas being also attached to the weight by which said ropes are held taut. Fig. 5 is a detail showing a safety-cluteh applied to the lifting mechansniot' the cab and adapted to operate in combination with theyielding o r iieXible ropes by. which the cab is guided. Fig. Gis a detail View, showing the elevator-pulley in side elevation, together with one ot' the inclined standards supporting the same and ad` justable bearing for the pulley.

A A represent the upright-s or posts of a triangular tower, and B B the system of crossties and braces which join the uprights to form a hollow skeleton structure of triangular py ramidal form. i

C G are rods connected with the upper extremities ofthe uprights A, and inclined up-y ward' and inward therel'roin to converge in the axis ofthe tower, forming, as here shown, a tri pedal support for the mast A, which snstainsandfmay represent the lamp Or lamps. Said rods also, as here illustrated,i`orm a suit able support for the elevator and its guides.

D is the elevator-carriage, which in this in'- 'stan'ce is shown as a passenger-cab. D is its suspending-rope.

E E ,are the rope or rod guides for the cab D.

l is a bar from which the ropes E are immediately suspended.

Ff is a second bar, located at the lower end of the ropes Eby which the latter are held at a proper distance apart.

F is a special weight attached to the bar E, by which the ropes E are held taut.

G is a raised platform or landing leading to the elevatoncab.

His a frame for a landing and surround` ing rail at the top of the tower; The upper ends ot' the tower-uprights are connected by horizontal ties B B,which preventtheirspread-y ing, being joined by ine-ans of suitable littingsf7 A. The feetotthe converginginclined standards C rest upon the nprights A, being therewithjoined, as here shown, by means otl` IOO 2 f `granaat to receive and sustain the central mast, A2. (Shown broken off in Fig. 2.) The object of the branched form of the connections C4, as herein shown, is to more firmly and widely support the bars C, which pass through the former, as seen in Fig. `2, and which bars are extended to form supports for a landing and its surrounding guard-rail H. The platform of the landing will consist, preferably, of iron tubes suitably ljoined and secured, and arranged to rest upon the bars C, but said platform may consist of planks or slats arranged and secured in place in any suitable manner. One of the inclined standards7 as C, is made bifurcated, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, for the purpose of supporting the pulley Cl between its legs c c, saidlegs having fitted and secured thereto the bearings c3 for the pulley-shaft. A branched three-way casting, c', connects the legs c c at their upper ends, and a short single rod or tube joins said casting with the central elevated casting, C5. The pulley C2 will be arranged to suspend the cab D accurately in the axis ofthe tower. From and beneath the casting C5 the transverse horizontal bar F/ is supported, from the ends of which depend the ropes or rods E E, intended to serve as guides for the cap D.

Near the bottom of the tower, as seen in Fig. l, a landing and walk, G, is provided at a suitable height to allow passage beneath it leading from the center of the tower to one of the uprights A, with which its o'uterend is se cured. Vhen of considerable length, as will usually be the casein towers of great altitude, said walk may be strengthened bya truss. In this case it is shown as having trussed guardrails G', and also as having a suspended truss, g g', of the sectionally-triangular shape shown in Fig. 4. One ofthe transverse frame-pieces of this landingl structure, as E2, Fig. 4, gives attachment to the lower ends of the guideropes E, operating with the elevated bar E to hold them parallel with each other and in' the same plane. Said ropes E, when thus connected, serve to sustain the inner end of the landing G and obviate the use of supports beneath it at this point.

ln lofty towers the expansion and contraction ofthe ropes E from exposure to changes of temperature or other intluences will be considerable. Since it is desirable to hold said ropes uniformly taut. it is therefore necessary that the means by which this is done shall beyielding. t.

In the case of skeleton towers constructed of tubular iron, as may be supposed to be the case in the drawings, the long platform G will rise and fall as the ropes E expand and contract to practically meet this condition without the provision of hinged connections of such platform with the upright A; but, if preferred, such hinged connection may be pro vided. When for any reason-it is not desirable to connect the platform with the guides E, the bar Ez may be guyed to prevent rotation,

andthe desired tension of the guide-ropes may be obtained from the use of a special weight, (shown at Fg) and should t-he platform, when connected with the ropes, be of insufficient weight, the special weight F may be added thereto and applied at any suitable point for the purpose. l

The weight F or the platform G, connected as described, is intended to represent any form of yielding force applied to the guide-ropes E and adapted to hold them taut by a practically uniform strain. Guys glhold the inner endrof the platform G in place laterally, and any suitable stair, permanent or removable, may be provided for reaching said platform from Y the ground.

its ends to, surround the guide-ropes E. and

the clamp-bars D3 are applied in the usual or l any approved manner, so as to be thrown out by the spring D when released into ,bearing upon the ropes E at da. Said clamp-bars D3 are here shown as being severally pivoted to the lifting-bar at d2, and as having loose sliding connection with the center piece, d5, as seen at d6, upon which the spring D immediately bears. The pivotal points d'Z and the'bearing end faces cl3v of the clamping-bars D3 are arranged in such relation, as indicated, that the latter will first throw the ropes E outward against the ends d of the lifting-bar D2, and

will continue thereafter to bite the rope under strain from the falling cab until the latter is arrested.

While the general construction and mode of applying the clamping-bars D, as shown in the drawings, is not materially different from those seen in elevators having rigid or xed guides, it is obvious that, in combination with the yielding and flexible guides E and with the opposing support afforded by the ends d of the lifting-bar D`, an entirely new action is obtained, dependent on the yielding character of the guides E. The opposing bearings d d3 may ofcourse be transposed, if desired.

As will be seen in Fig. 2, the fittings C!l are screw-threaded into the littings A. By this means the converging bars C may be adjusted to suspend the cab and its guides accurately in the center of the tow-er. If preferred, the threaded projections of the fittings Cft may rest loosely in the fittings A', and be provided with nuts which rest on the latter, and which allow ofthe adjustment of the legs Gat any time, if found desirable or necessary, after the tower is completed. In such adjustment the rods C rotate in the fitting O4, or the foot-pieces ofthe standards may rotate on said rods.

A familiar mode of operating the elevator is only suggested in the drawings by the rope D', trained over the pulley G2; but other modes may be employed without departure from my invention. For example, the cab may be raised and lowered by known devices Worked -IOO IIO

299,335y n y e by the occupant andv operating in connection with the guides E, or in connection with a third rope vor bar, also suspended and siaA tionary; The use of such devices would vdispense with the trained hoisting-rope D and the special devices by which the pulley C2 is sustained, but would not effect the operation of parts retained.

Obviously a springr may be employed to give an automatic tension to the guides E, substantially like but less perfect than the weight F. It is also plain that a spring or weight for this purpose may be connected with "the guides at their upper ends, if, for anyy reason, such .construction bel preferred, the n lower ends of said guides being fiXedly held.

I claim as my invention t l. The combination of a tower, an electric lamp supported thereby, and an' elevator mechconverging standards forming the apex of the tower, as described, the mast A2 and a snitable connecting piece, C5, which joins the standards and supports the mast, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

l5.k In combination with the uprighis A. and the inclined standards supported thereby, ad-

40 `j ustable conneetionsjoin ng the standards with the uprights, substantially as describechand for the purposes set forth.

6. In combination with the uprights A and theinclined standards, the branched fittings (3*, and horizontal rods yC3, extended to give support to alan din g,substanti ally asdescribed.

7. In combination with the hollow tower, guides E for a cab, suspended from the top of y greater than` is due to their weight, which means automatically yield with the expansion and contraction of the said guides, substantially as described.

9. In a tower, the combination, with suspended elevator-guides E, subject to expansion and contraction, of a weight suspended thereby clear of the ground, whereby a practically uniform tension is maintained upon said guides materially greater than that due to their own weight, while permitting them to expand and contract, substantially as "described.

l0. In combination with a skeleton tower, provided with an interior elevator, the platforInG, forming a lower landing from which access may be had` to the elevator calo or carriage, and located at a suitable elevation to allowpassage beneath the same, substantially as described.

1l. In combination with the suspended eab guides E, the platform G, suitably supported at its outer end, and supported at its inner end from vthe guides E, substantially as described.

l2. In combination with the flexible cabguides E, the cab provided with clampingbars D, arranged andv actuated to bear upon the guides when the lifting-rope breaks, and fixed opposing bearings d', whereby the ropes are first more or lessd eflccted and then grasped, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. ADAMS.

Witnesses:

M. EDAYTON, J Essa COX, Jr.` 

